Next week is the Easter Bank Holiday, and the longest bank weekend of the year. I love this time of year for travel—Spring is already in full swing in most places in Europe, bank holidays lend themselves to special flight deals, and Christian-majority countries sometimes have fun themed events for the Easter holidays.

This bank holiday, my partner and I have different ideas for what to do—but we’ve settled on doing some day trips by train, so we can stay close to home and see many different parts of England in one weekend (without spending money on overnight accommodations). I started thinking about previous day trips I’d taken, and I thought I’d pass the ideas on to anyone who’s thinking of going away next weekend!

Richmond upon Thames (40 minutes by train)

While technically part of London, Richmond is a borough that’s far enough from central London, and with such a unique feel, that I don’t feel odd saying I’m spending the day there and it feels like travelling. My experiences with Richmond fit neatly into what I’d call “City” and “Country” elements. There’s the downtown centre, full of small shops and businesses that the posh residents of Richmond frequent (I can’t wait to get to a charity shop, see what all the rich people have decided is last season!), and there’s also a lot of natural beauty in Richmond. I love going to Richmond Park—a huge, 2,500-acre green space, with herds of deer so tame you can get within a few metres of them. This season I’d really like to go to Kew Gardens, the Royal Botanical Garden that spans 500 acres and is home to the world’s largest seed conservation project. And as I’m a bit of a Ted Lasso fan, I’ll also be stopping by the places where they filmed the TV series.

Brighton (1 hour by train)

This isn’t peak beach weather—England is still windy and rainy, and that only intensifies the closer you get to the ocean. But if you go in the summer, you’ll be fighting your way through a mob of beach-goers, so April is the perfect month to go! I love Brighton—it’s a truly walkable city, with boutique shops and experiences throughout. I’ve always been impressed whenever I’ve visited their antiques shops and bookstores—my bag always comes home heavier than it is when I left. My favourite park is the Royal Pavilion, an 18^th-century palace—it seems strange that such an Indian-inspired piece of architecture was built to house royalty, but it’s a prominent feature of Brighton, and based on its beauty, you can see why. Or if you’re feeling nostalgic, try the penny arcade on the ocean pier, which my nephew has made me promise I’ll take him to next time he visits!

Arundel (1 hour 15 mins by train)

This was a day trip that my partner and I took around this time last year, and we loved it! Arundel is an English town in West Sussex, set at the foot of a massive castle. If you’re into history, I highly recommend the castle tour, where you can walk through the hallowed halls and learn about everything from how plumbing worked in those days, to what happened in times of war (it’s family-friendly, though—there was even an opportunity for kids to play pretend with swords and costumes). The castle sits on a huge ground which includes beautiful gardens, and plenty of places to walk and view the castle. I’d suggest afterwards, going into the town centre, and checking out their boutique shops and bookshops—Kims Bookshop and The Crow Road were both booksellers that had us leaving Arundel with emptier wallets and heavier bags!

Have a lovely bank holiday weekend—and happy travels!